The finer details of who would make a combined Rangers and Celtic XI has been a major topic of discussion over the last week or so.
Rangers legend and former captain Barry Ferguson sparked the debate when he suggested that on current form no Celtic player would make the Ibrox XI [Daily Record].
Rangers fans then bemoaned Daily Record columnist Gordon Parks for suggesting that only three players – Allan McGregor Borna Barisic and Ryan Kent – would make Celtic’s.
There’s a genuine sentiment amongst Celtic supporters that the Rangers captain wouldn’t make a team ahead of resident wonderbhoy Jeremie Frimpong.
James Tavernier has been the best and most consistent player in Scotland up until this point of the season and currently leads the Scottish Premiership scoring charts.
The 29-year-old is a marauding, intimidating presence on that right-hand side for Rangers and offers an engine, a delivery and a consistency that no player in the country can match.
Tav has 12 goals already this season – six of those from the spot – whilst he has also nine assists. He has formed part of a rock-solid defence which has kept 16 clean sheets in 20 games.
So far, this is his season.
The notion that 19-year-old rookie right-back Frimpong is anywhere near his level isn’t just absolutely ridiculous, it’s insulting to anyone serious about the game of football.
Whilst Frimpong is undoubtedly a talented player, Celtic’s over-reliance on the wing-back to pull off something extraordinary is one of the reasons why they’re toiling at the moment.
Frimpong is also routinely targeted defensively, his inexperience at this level and his light-weight frame clearly ear-marked as a Celtic weak-point by opposition management.
The full-back’s numbers are also not a touch on those of James Tavernier – Frimpong has one goal and three assists in 18 matches this season.
This from a player ex-Celtic star Danny McGrain claimed could rake in an astonishing £50m to the Celtic coffers.
The debate might rage about which players from which team would make up a combined Rangers Celtic XI, but anyone who is serious will agree the right-back slot is not up for debate.